Jean Robillard said Thursday he is looking forward to assuming his role Aug. 1 as the interim president of the University of Iowa, where this fall the campus is poised to welcome the largest freshman class ever at approximately 5,100 students.

“There is about a 10 percent increase in the freshman class" over last year,  Robillard said. “This is just fabulous. We are all here for the students. This is what this institution is all about, and we want to make sure they have the experience of their lives. They are representing the future for the state and for the country.”

Robillard, who is also the UI vice president for medical affairs, made his comments during his first regularly scheduled availability with reporters at Jessup Hall. He said he has been preparing for his interim post for two months and expects the transition to be seamless.

“I know the university well,” he said.

During his tenure as interim president, Robillard said he will keep his focus on students and is planning to participate in the On Iowa! welcome event this fall as well as host the traditional university president block party.

A native of Montreal, Robillard earned bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Montreal. Following post-doctoral training in Montreal, Los Angeles, and Iowa City, he joined the faculty at the UI in 1976 as an assistant professor. He was later promoted to professor in 1982 and appointed as vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics in 1987 while he was also director of the Pediatric Nephrology Division.

Robillard began his appointment as the UI vice president for medical affairs in January 2007, after serving four years as dean of the Carver College of Medicine, a position he continued to hold until June 2008.